1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable game machines, and in particular, to a portable game machine called a xe2x80x9ckey-chain gamexe2x80x9d, which is small enough to be attached to a key holder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the progress of technology, it is easy to reduce the size of game machines having a built-in electronic circuit. In particular, game machines that include an input unit operated by a game player, a game processor for executing game processing based on operations input by the input unit, and a display for displaying the result of the executed processing have come into widespread use because of their portability, a convenient feature allowing the game player to easily play the game regardless of the time and place, and their low price.
Currently, too many types of portable game machines on the market cause xe2x80x9cexcessive competitionxe2x80x9d. Therefore, it is essential to develop a type of portable game machine which can be differentiated from other types and which provides a highly entertaining game.
Portable game machines have the merits of small size and low price and it is difficult to realize a highly entertaining portable game machine in which these merits are maintained. In particular, among portable game machines, in the type of game machine called xe2x80x9ckey-chain gamexe2x80x9d, it is common to use a known type of microchip to constitute the hardware including a storage unit and a central processing unit (CPU). This limitation makes It difficult to develop a highly entertaining game machine.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable game machine which uses known hardware yet which provides a highly entertaining game without requiring a large storage capacity.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a game-advancing method adapted for the execution of the above-described game in such a portable game machine that electronically enables the above-described game.
To these ends, according to an aspect of the present invention, the foregoing objects are achieved through provision of a portable game machine including an input unit operated by a game player, a game processor for executing game processing based on an operation input from the input unit, a display for displaying the result of the processing executed by the game processor, and a portable housing for accommodating the input unit, the game processor, and the display. The display displays a plurality of gauges composed of a plurality of small areas sequentially arranged in predetermined directions. The game processor selects one game element from among a plurality of preset game elements based on the operation input from the input unit, and displays information on the progress of a game on at least one of the gauges when any one of the game elements is selected.
According to a portable game machine of the present invention, from a plurality of game elements, one game element can be selected, which enables a game player to play a plurality of games. Therefore, the portable game machine can prevent the game player from getting tired of the game. In this specification, the game elements means elements required to execute one game. For example, the game elements include image data relating to images to be displayed on a display during the game, and data relating to rules for the progress of the game. The portable game machine displays, on the display, a plurality of gauges for indicating the progress of the game. Accordingly, the portable game machine enables the game player to recognize a plurality of types of information relating to the progress of the game, such as timing the game player operates an input unit, a remaining time in which the game player is allowed to perform operations, and the state of a game character displayed on the display. This makes it possible to create a variety of games and to greatly entertain the game player.
In the portable game machine, the plurality of gauges are used in common for a plurality of games. Accordingly, although various games can be created, the development of games using a conventional type of microchip is facilitated without requiring large-capacity storage.
Preferably, the gauges are displayed by sequentially arranging small areas in predetermined directions. For example, by circularly arranging the small areas, the gauges can be formed. Also, by sequentially the small areas in a line, the gauges can be formed.
In particular, it is preferable to employ an arrangement in which the display has a substantially rectangular display screen and the gauges are displayed along sides of the display because the arrangement avoids the interference between an original game picture that includes a game character and a background, and the gauges.
The number of gauges must be plural, but there is no particular limit in the number. Nevertheless, it is preferable to provide about two gauges when considering limitation in which the game player can view and can efficiently obtain information, and a limit in the processing performance of known hardware.
There is no particular limitation to the type of display if it can display images. For example, a dot-matrix liquid-crystal display may be used. In this case, the small areas can be displayed using a corresponding dot constituting the display. By using the one corresponding dot for each small area, the amount of data required for displaying the gauges can be reduced.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing objects are achieved through provision of a method for use in a portable game machine including an input unit operated by a game player, a game processor for executing game processing based on an operation input from said input unit, a display for displaying the result of the processing executed by said game processor, and a portable housing for accommodating said input unit, said game processor, and said display. The method includes the steps of selecting one game element from among a plurality of preset game elements based on the operation input from said input unit, and displaying a plurality of gauges composed of small areas sequentially arranged in predetermined directions on said display, and simultaneously displaying predetermined information on the progress of a game at least on one of the gauges.
According to the present invention, as can be clear from the foregoing embodiments, a highly entertaining game, which prevents a game player from getting tired of the game, can be selected from among a plurality of types of games, and can be executed, even although conventional hardware is used with it unchanged.
Therefore, the present invention enables easy development of a game differentiating from other types of portable game machines without causing a storage unit included in conventional hardware to have an excessive load. In addition, according to a game-advancing method of the present invention, each of a plurality of games can easily be executed, with entertaining characteristics of the game maintained.